Oyo State Governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Seyi Makinde, has denied receiving ₦50 billion from the Federal Government for the ongoing upgrade of the Ladoke Akintola International Airport in Ibadan.
Makinde made the clarification on Tuesday while addressing supporters and stakeholders at the APM North-West Consultative Town Hall meeting in Katsina, following a claim by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had provided the money to support the airport project.
Wike had made the claim on Monday during an appearance on TVC’s Journalists’ Hangout, saying the Tinubu administration had supported Makinde with ₦50 billion for the expansion and upgrade of the Ibadan airport to international standards.
According to Wike, the alleged intervention was part of the support extended to Makinde after the 2023 presidential election, particularly in the context of the political position taken by members of the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) G5 governors.
However, responding to the claim at the Katsina meeting, Makinde said no such payment was made to him or the Oyo State Government.
The governor said he was informed of Wike’s television interview before addressing the gathering and described the claim as false.
“My attention was drawn to an interview granted yesterday by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, where he said that the President gave N50 billion to Oyo State to upgrade the Ibadan Airport.
“I want to say that claim is false. The President did not give me or Oyo State N50 billion to upgrade the Ibadan Airport. The Ibadan Airport upgrade project is being undertaken 100 per cent with the funds of Oyo State,” Makinde said.
The disagreement has placed renewed attention on how the major airport transformation project is being financed, with Makinde maintaining that the Oyo State Government has shouldered the cost without the alleged ₦50 billion federal intervention.
The dispute also comes against the background of the political relationship between Makinde and Wike. Both men were members of the G5, alongside former Abia Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, former Enugu Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and former Benue Governor Samuel Ortom. The group opposed the presidential candidacy of Atiku Abubakar during the 2023 election.
Wike has previously argued that he was not the only former G5 governor to benefit from the Tinubu administration, citing the appointments of Ikpeazu and Ugwuanyi as ambassadors and, now, the alleged federal financial support for Makinde’s airport project.
Makinde’s denial, however, places the responsibility for the airport transformation squarely on the Oyo State Government, which he said is financing the project entirely from its own resources.
The Makinde administration initiated the airport upgrade as part of efforts to transform the facility and position it to meet international aviation standards. The governor has maintained that the project is being funded by the state rather than through the alleged ₦50 billion federal allocation.
